Friedrich Heinrich Ludwig Krevel, known as Louis Krevel (19 September 1801, Braunschweig - 14 May 1876, Trier) was a German portrait painter of the

Biedermeier The ''Biedermeier'' period was an era in Central Europe between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle class grew in number and the arts appealed to common sensibilities. It began with the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in ...

period.

Biography

His father, Johann Hilarius Krevel (1776-1846) was an art dealer and portrait painter of some note who experimented with new methods of producing

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

s. After taking his first art lessons from his father, he studied with , a portrait and landscape painter who had a private school in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

and was himself a student of

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

. Through Krauskopf's contacts, in 1824, Krevel was able to go study in Paris. While there, he may have worked with

Antoine-Jean Gros Antoine-Jean Gros (; 16 March 177125 June 1835) was a French painter of historical subjects. He was given title of Baron Gros in 1824. Gros studied under Jacques-Louis David in Paris and began an independent artistic career during the French R ...

and was influenced by the works of

Ingres Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres ( , ; 29 August 1780 – 14 January 1867) was a French Neoclassicism, Neoclassical Painting, painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic ...

. In 1827, one of his portraits was accepted for the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

. The followed year, he opened his own studio and his name appeared in the ''Almanach des 25.000 adresses des principaux habitants de Paris''. As a result, he received a commission from the town of

Sète Sète (; oc, Seta, ), also historically spelt ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the Hérault department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises' ...

to make a copy of a painting by François Gérard, depicting the coronation of Charles X. His portraits did not provide sufficient income, however, so he also worked as a decorative painter. In 1830, he decided to return to Germany and appears to have worked in Nordrhein-Westfalen. By 1836, he was working in the

Saar Saar or SAAR has several meanings: People Given name *Saar Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player *Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist *Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor Surname * Ain Saar (born 1968), Esto ...

region and, four years later, was exhibiting at the Prussian Academy of Arts. His works were praised by

Christian Daniel Rauch Christian Daniel Rauch (2 January 1777 – 3 December 1857) was a German sculptor. He founded the Berlin school of sculpture, and was the foremost German sculptor of the 19th century. Life Rauch was born at Arolsen in the Principality of ...

, who tried to persuade him to move to Berlin. Krevel apparently preferred the lack of competition where he was. Based on the locations of his showings, he spent most of his time in Baden-Baden but travelled frequently as his commissions dictated. Most of his clients were from the newly thriving bourgeoisie created by the industrialization of the Saar. Some of the most notable were and his family (iron); the and their heirs (coal) and (coal and iron). Sometime in the mid-1840s, he settled in Cologne and became a member of the

Kölnischer Kunstverein The Kölnischer Kunstverein is an art museum in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia state, Germany. It is named after the historical art society of the same name. The ''Kölnischer Kunstverein'' was a "Kunstverein" established in Cologne in 1 ...

. Through his friendship with

Jakob Götzenberger Jakob Götzenberger (Franz Jakob Julius Götzenberger, Heidelberg 4 November 1802 – Darmstadt 6 October 1866) was a German mural painter and portraitist, a pupil of Peter Cornelius. He spent much of the later part of his career in En ...

, he also maintained contact with the kunstverein in Mannheim. In 1856, he participated in another exhibit at the Prussian Academy. Krämer-Familie IGB

In 1865, discouraged by the growing popularity of portrait photography, he retired from painting, became withdrawn and moved to a small house in

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population o ...

. He suffered a stroke in 1873 and moved to Trier to live with his sister, Jenny, who was newly widowed. His health continued to deteriorate and he died there three years later.

References

External links

Louis Krevel paintings available for auction a
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Krevel, Louis 1801 births 1876 deaths 19th-century German painters 19th-century German male artists German male painters Biedermeier painters German portrait painters Artists from Braunschweig

Biography

References

Further reading

External links